Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The Comforts of Home Heal Game 5 Wounds

The Yankees were unable to close out the series last night and there really are not very many positives that came out of that game. The only things I can say are that they were able to hit Cliff Lee and that Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon are really picking it up during the World Series. Other than that there is not much to be pleased about.

Last night I tried to find some more positives but couldn’t. I tried to convince myself that if Mark Teixeira had found a way to get on base, Rodriguez could have tied the game for us. This seemed perfectly reasonable at the time given how well he had been playing but today it just seems unreasonable because they had no business winning the game last night. How often are you going to win when the starting pitcher goes less than 3 innings, gives up 6 earned runs, and the bullpen gives up two more insurance homeruns? The answer is pretty much never. Barring an historic collapse from Lee, the Yankees were going to go back to New York up 3-2 in the series and that is exactly what happened despite a decent effort in the 8th and 9th innings.

Placing aside my negativity concerning the game last night, however, I actually am not unduly worried or upset. Where normally I would be incredibly nervous about the Yankee’s chances to close it out, today I feel confident. Andy Pettitte, our wily veteran with more postseason wins than any other pitcher in history, is on the mound in Yankee stadium. Cliff Lee won’t be pitching for the Phillies tomorrow night. They are playing in a ballpark that has baffled opposing teams so far this postseason. And, there is nothing like the comfort of your own bed. Experience on the mound, not facing a dominant pitcher, and the comforts of home all lead me to believe that game 6 will be the final game in the World Series. The Yankees have too many things swaying in their favor. And, if all else fails and for some reason the Yankees cannot pull it out tomorrow, there is always the comforting fact that CC is waiting in the wings.